Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Methamphetamine users feel a short yet intense "rush" when the drug is initially administered. The effects of methamphetamine include increased activity, decreased appetite, and a sense of well being that can last from 20 minutes to 12 hours. The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.1
Methamphetamine can easily be manufactured in clandestine laboratories using store bought materials and is the most prevalent synthetic drug manufactured in the United States. The ease of manufacturing methamphetamine and its highly addictive potential has caused the use of the drug to increase throughout the Nation. The methamphetamine problem was originally concentrated in the West but has spread throughout almost every major metropolitan area in the U.S. with the exception of the Northeast.2
Yaba, the Thai name for a tablet form of methamphetamine mixed with caffeine, is appearing in Asian communities in northern California and Los Angeles areas. These tablets are popular in Southeast and East Asia where they are produced. The tablets are small enough to fit in the end of a drinking straw and are usually reddish-orange or green with various logos. There are indications that methamphetamine tablets are becoming more popular within the rave scene because of the tablet's similar appearance to club drugs such as Ecstasy.3
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Extent of Use
According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 12.3 million Americans ages 12 and older reported trying methamphetamine at least once during their lifetimes, representing 5.2% of the population ages 12 and older. Approximately 1.3 million (0.6%) reported past year methamphetamine use and 607,000 (0.3%) reported past month methamphetamine use.4
According to the Monitoring the Future Study, during 2003, 6.2% of high school seniors reported using a methamphetamine within their lifetime. Lifetime use among 8th and 10th graders was 3.9% and 5.2%, respectively. Also during 2003, 3.9% of high school seniors reported using Ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine, within their lifetime.5
High School Students Reporting Methamphetamine Use, 20036
Nationwide, 7.6% of high school students surveyed in 2003 as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) reported using methamphetamine during their lifetimes. Male students (8.3%) were more likely than female students (6.8%) to report lifetime methamphetamine use. Hispanic (8.3%) and white (8.1%) students were more likely than black (3.1%) students to use methamphetamine within their lifetime.7
During 2003, 5.8% of college students and 8.9% of young adults (ages 19-28) reported using methamphetamine at least once during their lifetimes. Approximately 2.6% of college students and 2.7% of young adults reported past year use of methamphetamine, and 0.6% of college students and 0.7% of young adults reported past month use of methamphetamine.8
According to preliminary data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program, a median of 4.7% of adult male arrestees and 8.8% of adult female arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine at the time of arrest in 2003. The adult male samples were compiled from 39 U.S. sites and the adult female samples were compiled from 25 sites.9
Reported Methamphetamine Use by Arrestees, 200310
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Health Effects
The effects of methamphetamine use can include addiction, psychotic behavior, and brain damage. Methamphetamine is highly addictive and users trying to abstain from use may suffer withdrawal symptoms that include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and intense cravings for the drug. Chronic methamphetamine use can cause violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. Users can also exhibit psychotic behavior including auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, and paranoia, possibly resulting in homicidal or suicidal thoughts.11 Use of methamphetamine can cause damage to the brain that is detectable months after the use of the drug. The damage to the brain caused by methamphetamine use is similar to damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.12
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Drug Episode: A drug-related
ED episode is an ED visit that
was induced by or related to the
use of drug(s).
Drug Mention: A drug mention
refers to a substance that was
recorded during an ED episode. Because up to 4 drugs can be reported for each drug abuse episode, there are more mentions than episodes.
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According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) 2002 mortality data, areas with the highest number of methamphetamine mentions in drug-related deaths were those in the Midwest and Western areas, including Phoenix (132), San Diego (81), Las Vegas (72), Dallas (46), and San Francisco (38). Eight areas reported no methamphetamine mentions and another 7 reported fewer than 5 mentions. The only Eastern area reporting a high number of methamphetamine mentions in drug-related deaths was Philadelphia (17).13
Methamphetamine emergency department (ED) mentions have fluctuated since 1995, when there were 15,933 mentions. Methamphetamine ED mentions declined to 10,447 during 1999. This number has since increased to 17,696 in 2002.14
Methamphetamine Mentions (Emergency Departments),
1994–200215
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Treatment
In 1992, there were 14,554 admissions to treatment for methamphetamine throughout the United States, representing 1% of all treatment admissions during the year. By 2002, the number of methamphetamine admissions to treatment increased to 104,481, representing 5.5% of all admissions. During 2002, of the 124,755 admissions to treatment for methamphetamine/amphetamines, 55.4% were male and 74.3% were white. Admissions for methamphetamine/amphetamines during 2002 reported the following frequency of use: 35.8% did not use in the past month, 32.1% used daily, 12.2% used 1–3 times per month, 11.2% used 3–6 times per week, and 8.7% used 1–2 times per week.16
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Arrests & Sentencing
During FY 2001, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made 7,220 arrests for methamphetamine, representing 22% of all DEA drug arrests. Of those arrested for methamphetamine, 94% were white and 78.5% were male.17
During FY 2002, there were a total of 3,934 Federal offenders sentenced for methamphetamine-related charges in U.S. Courts. The majority of offenders were white (60.2%), male (85.3%), and U.S. Citizens (76.6%). Over twenty percent of Federal methamphetamine offenders (21.4%) had a weapon involved with their drug offense; this was one of the highest percentages of weapon involvement second only to crack cocaine offenders (23.1%).18
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Production & Trafficking
Methamphetamine production, trafficking, and abuse are concentrated in the western, southwestern, and midwestern United States. Clandestine laboratories in California and Mexico are the primary suppliers of methamphetamine in the United States. Methamphetamine produced in Mexico usually enters into the U.S. through California ports of entry.19
Methamphetamine is easily produced in clandestine laboratories or meth labs using a variety of ingredients available in stores. The manufacturing of methamphetamine is called "cooking". Cooking a batch of meth can be very dangerous due to the fact that the chemicals used are volatile and the by-products are very toxic. Meth labs present a danger to the meth cook, the community surrounding the lab, and the law enforcement personnel who discover the lab.20 A Center for Disease Control and Prevention study on hazardous substance-release events found that methamphetamine labs caused injury to 79 first responders (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and hospital personnel) in 14 States participating in the study. The most common injuries were respiratory and eye irritation; headache; dizziness; nausea and vomiting; and shortness of breath.21 In addition to the dangerous nature of methamphetamine production, the labs are often booby-trapped and workers are well armed.22
Funding for the cleanup of DEA-seized laboratories is derived from several sources including the Asset Forfeiture Fund, Community Oriented Policing Service, DEA Appropriated, Department of Justice Supplemental, and the Bureau of Justice "Hot Spots." During FY 2001, these agencies contributed a total of $34 million dollars in funding for clean up and disposal of clandestine laboratory sites in the United States.23
The methamphetamine trafficking situation has significantly changed within the last decade in the United States. Outlaw motorcycle gangs and other independent laboratory operators were once the primary traffickers of methamphetamine in the United States. However, Mexico-based trafficking groups entered the illicit methamphetamine market in 1994 and now dominate the trade leaving motorcycle gangs with a small share of the market. Mexico based trafficking groups dominate the market for many reasons, including their ability to obtain large quantities of the chemicals needed to produce the drug, their access to established smuggling and distribution networks, and their control over "super labs" (laboratories capable of producing in excess of 10 pounds of methamphetamine in one 24-hour production cycle).24
During 2002, the DEA reported seizures totaling 118,049,279 dosage units of methamphetamine. This is a decrease from the 139,540,464 dosage units seized during 1995.25
During 2002, prices for powdered methamphetamine seized nationally by DEA ranged from $3,000–$13,000 per pound, $300–$1,700 per ounce, and $40–$125 per gram. Prices for ice methamphetamine ranged nationally from $1,200–$70,000 per pound, $350–$2,300 per ounce, and $120-$500 per gram during 2002.
According to samples tested by DEA, the average purity level of methamphetamine during 2002 was 44 percent, which is an increase from 2000 when the average purity level was 35%.26
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Legislation
Methamphetamine is a Schedule II narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.27 The chemicals that are used to produce methamphetamine are also controlled under the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 (MCA). This legislation broadened the controls on listed chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine, increased penalties for the trafficking and manufacturing of methamphetamine and listed chemicals, and expanded the controls of products containing the licit chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine (PPA).28
The Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act was passed in July 2000. The act strengthens sentencing guidelines, provides training for Federal and State law enforcement officers on methamphetamine investigations and the handling of the chemicals used in clandestine meth labs. It also puts in place controls on the distribution of the chemical ingredients used in Methamphetamine production and expands substance abuse prevention efforts. Sections of the act relating to the distribution of drug information and Internet advertising were removed.29
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Street Terms30
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Other Links
Clandestine Laboratory Investigator's Association
CLIA provides training, technical support, and expert testimony to prosecutors, law enforcement, and emergency services personnel.
Cracking Down on Meth
This program addresses meth with an integrated approach that reaches across prevention, enforcement, intervention, and treatment to create just such a comprehensive strategy.
Fighting Methamphetamine in the Heartland (PDF)
Scott Burns, the Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs in ONDCP, gave this statement before Congress on how the Federal government can assist State and local efforts against methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine Fact Sheet
A summary of information on the effects, use, production, and trafficking of methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine in America: Not in Our Town
This DEA initiative involved a national meth awareness tour that stressed the importance of attacking the methamphetamine problem one neighborhood at a time.
Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force: Final Report
This report presents the recommendations of the Task Force in the areas of methamphetamine prevention, treatment, enforcement, and research.
The Methamphetamine Menace (PDF)
This fact sheet highlights the problems associated with methamphetamine and discusses how some States are responding.
Methamphetamine Publications
A listing of methamphetamine-related publications from various sources.
Methamphetamine Treatment Project
The Methamphetamine Treatment Project is a multi-site initiative to study the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.
Public Health Legal Preparedness Materials: Methamphetamine Laboratories
This site contains selected State legislation, ordinances, policies, and regulations that relate to methamphetamine laboratories and chemical exposure.
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Sources
1 National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report: Methamphetamine: Abuse and Addiction, January 2002
2 Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Trafficking in the United States, Methamphetamine section
3 Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Intelligence Brief: The Forms of Methamphetamine, April 2002
4 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, September 2004
5 National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future: Overview of Key Findings, 2003 (PDF), June 2004.
6
National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future: Overview of Key Findings, 2003 (PDF), June 2004.
7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2003, May 2004.
8 National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975–2003, Volume II: College Students & Adults Ages 19–45 (PDF), 2004
9 National Institute of Justice, Drug and Alcohol Use and Related Matters Among Arrestees, 2003 (PDF), 2004
10 Ibid.
11 National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report: Methamphetamine: Abuse and Addiction, January 2002
12 National Institute on Drug Abuse, Methamphetamine Linked to Long-Term Damage to Brain Cells, March 2000
13 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Mortality Data From the Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2002, January 2004
14 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Emergency Department Trends from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, Final Estimates 1995–2002, July 2003
15 Ibid.
16 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights—2002 (PDF), May 2004
17 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2001, November 2003
18 U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2002 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, 2004
19 Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Trafficking in the United States, Methamphetamine section
20 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series No. 16, Clandestine Drug Labs (PDF), April 2002
21 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic and Disease Registry, Public Health Consequences Among First Responders to Emergency Events Associated With Illicit Methamphetamine Laboratories–Selected States, 1996–1999, November 2000
22 Drug Enforcement Administration, The NNICC Report 1997: The Supply of Illicit Drugs to the United States, November 1998
23 Drug Enforcement Administration, Chemical Diversion and Synthetic Drug Manufacture, January 2002
24 Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Trafficking in the United States, Methamphetamine section
25 National Institute on Drug Abuse, Community Epidemiology Working Group, Epidemiological Trends in Drug Abuse Volume I: Highlights and Executive Summary, June 2003, (PDF) February 2004.
26 National Drug Intelligence Center, National Drug Threat Assessment, 2004, April 2004
27 U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Amphetamine/Methamphetamine
28 Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, Provisions of the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996
29 Congressman Chris Cannon's Web site, Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act, Press Releases
30 Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, Street Terms: Drugs and the Drug Trade
Methamphetamine Terms
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